


First Date

by TeeKay42



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: AU, F/M, Plot, Romance, no despair highschool au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:28:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28185402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeeKay42/pseuds/TeeKay42
Summary: Makoto has had a crush on Kyoko for a while. However, after some "encouragement" from Sayaka, Makoto finally has the courage to ask Kyoko out on a date.
Relationships: Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto
Comments: 8
Kudos: 54





	1. Encouragement

**Author's Note:**

> I'm uploading the first two chapters today because I didn't have an AO3 account when I made the first one, so I didn't make these both at the same time.

“And therefore, the answer to x has to be 3.3 repeating!” Byakuya Togami claimed confidently. It hadn’t even been a minute since their math teacher had written the problem on the board, but the blonde young man had already provided his answer. The room fell silent, as everybody’s train of thought was interrupted. 

_ He already got an answer?  _ Makoto Naegi stared in awe at the back of Byakuya’s head, incredulous at the speed with which the Togami heir provided an answer.  _ I guess he’s just on a different level than me _ . 

Makoto stared down at his notebook paper again. He glanced over the numerous numbers, letters and various math symbols scrawled sloppily across the middle of the lined page.  _ Wow, I can’t believe he got that so soon. _

_ But wait a minute _ , the lucky student thought to himself,  _ something’s not right _ . Makoto glanced towards the teacher, who was glancing back through their notes. 

_ If Byakuya was right, the teacher would’ve already congratulated him! But for some reason, the teacher is hesitant to respond! This can’t be right!  _ Makoto’s eyes squinted, as his vision swung from the teacher to Byakuya and finally towards the whiteboard in the front.  _ That must mean Byakuya is wrong _ !

As if he switched into hyperdrive, Makoto fervently scanned between the board and his notes, trying to calculate the answer. However, the longer he looked, the more confused he became. 

_The radical goes here, and wait a minute how do they work again?_ _Agh, I’m not getting anywhere with this!_ Makoto then sighed and collected himself. _I need to take a step back and go in the other direction. I might not be able to get the right answer right away, so I should first figure out where he went wrong._ Makoto considered the answer Byakuya gave, and then looked at the board one more time. 

And then, it hit him. 

“No! That’s wrong!” Makoto exclaimed from the back of the room. The rest of the class turned around to look at him, each student with a varying degree of confusion and annoyance. And then finally, Byakuya turned around with a hateful expression. Makoto instantly felt his newfound confidence wavering. 

“What was that?” Byakuya’s words came off as cold as ice, as it froze Makoto in place. All of the connections Makoto had just made broke away, and he couldn’t get a single coherent word out. He gulped, fluttered his eyes and then opened his mouth. 

“S-sorry, I’m not sure where that came from,” Makoto began, “but that can’t be the correct answer here.”

“And how so?” Byakuya retorted. Despite sitting on the other side of the classroom, Makoto could still feel their incredible height difference. He felt smaller by the second, but Makoto was still determined to find the truth. 

“How could it possibly be 3.3 repeating?” Makoto continued, leaning forward on his desk. “3.3 repeating implies that the last step of the equation represents an exact third of something, but I don’t see any way that could happen!” 

The rest of the students raised their eyebrows and turned back around towards the whiteboard. There was a slight, incomprehensible murmur rising amongst the students, as they looked at the problem and back to their own notes. The unease amongst the rest of the class gave Makoto a sense of relief, and he felt his confidence slowly return. However, he began to feel uneasy again when he looked back towards Byakuya. 

_ Why is he so… _

“Hmph.” Byakuya pushed up his glasses with a smirk, acting calm and collected as ever. “Interesting way to present that argument, Naegi. With the way you avoided providing an answer of your own, it’d seem as if you haven’t found the answer either!” 

Makoto’s jaw dropped and eyebrows raised.  _ How did he know… How did he see right through me? _ “I-I…”

“Don’t change the subject here, Togami.” Makoto was surprised by the interruption, and even more surprised when he saw who had come in to save him. 

“K-Kiri?” Makoto was surprised to see his friend, Kyoko Kirigiri come to his aid, much less talk during class in the first place. She maintained an emotionless stare from the seat to his right towards Togami in the front, not wavering her gaze in the slightest. 

“What did you say?” Byakuya asked, glaring towards the stoic, lavender-haired girl in the back. The annoyance within began to crack through his calm exterior, but Kyoko’s demeanor remained consistent. 

“This is not about whether Naegi knows the answer.” Kyoko began, “this is about whether  _ you _ know the answer or not.” Kyoko then brushed her hair back out of her face, and showed off the slightest hint of a smirk. “However, I think you have already made the answer to that very clear.” 

Everyone’s eyes were on Kyoko now, with Makoto being amazed and Byakuya becoming increasingly hostile. The rest of the students, including the teacher, were silently watching Kyoko give her testimony. 

“And  _ when _ did I imply that?” Byakuya responded. 

“Do you not remember?” Kyoko continued, “it was only a few moments ago when you admitted. But you don’t need to hear it from me, right Naegi?” 

“M-me?” Makoto pointed towards himself, glancing nervously across the room. He looked at every student, who were all staring him down with intense intrigue. He then looked towards Byakuya, who had redirected all of his hostility back towards him. Finally, he looked towards Kyoko, who was showing him a simple smile that exudes confidence. 

_ She means me! But I have no idea what she’s talking about! _ Makoto racked his brain, trying to remember what Byakuya had said to him.  _ 3… what did you say?... Wait! _

“I got it!” Makoto exclaimed, looking back to Byakuya with newfound confidence. “It was when you said I hadn’t found the answer either! Either as in: you admit that you were wrong!” 

The whole class collectively gasped, and began to murmur again. Byakuya could barely contain his anger, staring a hole directly through Makoto’s soul. However, before Byakuya could begin his retort, everyone in the room was interrupted by the teacher. 

“Hold your horses, kids!” The teacher said, calling attention to the entire class. “We’re all out of time for today, plus I don’t want a fight in here today, so calm down!” 

As soon as the teacher mentioned they were out of time, all of the students shot up out of their seats and immediately began to pack their bags before rushing towards the exit. 

“Remember to do your homework too!” The teacher yelled out, hoping to be heard amongst the mass of shuffling. 

Makoto maintained eye contact with Byakuya, who simply scoffed and left the room.  _ Typical Togami, I guess _ , Makoto thought to himself, before having his train of thought interrupted by a gentle nudge from his left. 

“Well that was quite the show, Makoto.” Sayaka Maizono said, showing Makoto a silly grin. 

“Oh, thanks Sayaka.” Makoto laughed, as he began to turn around. “But who I should be thanking is-”

Makoto turned to his right to see an empty desk. 

“Kiri...” Makoto got out of his desk and peaked out the door, but could find no trace of the ultimate detective anywhere. “Oh…” 

“Can’t find your girlfriend, huh?” Sayaka teased, handing Makoto his bag from behind him. 

“I-it’s not like that at all…” Makoto nervously said, scratching his cheek while reaching for his bag. However, right before he could reach it, Sayaka pulled it away from his reach. 

“You’re a terrible liar, Makoto, you know that?” Sayaka began, looking to Makoto with a disapproving look. “It’s painfully obvious.”

“I-Is it?” Makoto felt his cheeks turn red. He made eye contact with Sayaka, who’s look of disbelief was all the answer he needed. 

“So, when are you gonna ask her out?” Sayaka asked, staring him dead in the eyes with a mischievous grin on her face. Makoto felt his heart in his throat at the thought of it. All of the shame he might feel if she rejects him, how uncomfortable he might make her. The thought of it all weighed down on him instantly, and he could barely muster a coherent word. 

“M-m-me? Ask Kiri? Wh-wh-wh?” 

“Bruh, you even have a nickname for her!” Sayaka took a step towards Makoto, “plus you two always group up during projects!”

“I-”

“Even the teachers pair you two up, always making you two pair up and sit next to each other… Everyone thinks you make a good pair, even the teachers ship you two!!!”

“Wh-what? Really? I never noticed…”  _ Does everyone really think that way? I wonder if Kiri figured that out too… _

“So, are you gonna do it today?” 

“T-Today?” 

“Yep, today! And just in case you need some extra motivation,” Sayaka reached into the bag she was still holding and pulled out his phone from the front pocket, “I’ll be holding onto this!”

“M-my phone!” Makoto took a step forward and tried to grab his phone from Sayaka, who simply outstretched her arm the other direction. 

“Don’t worry, just ask her out by today and I’ll give this back.” Sayaka flashed Makoto one last goofy smile before pushing his phone into her own bag. “Now go on, you’ve gotta get to class today too!” Sayaka handed Makoto his phoneless bag and walked past him, disappearing from his vision without looking back. 

“...Whelp.” Makoto said, “I know what I’m going to do today.”


	2. Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto gets some help from his friends Taka, Hina and Sakura to find and ask out Kyoko.

“Well, I just have to find Kiri and… ask her out.” Makoto muttered under his breath, roaming through the hallways of Hope’s Peak Academy. He felt his blood rush to his cheeks at the thought of it, but he pushed that thought to the back of his mind.  _ Well before I can even do that, I need to find her in the first place? But where could she even be? _

_ Would she be at the gym? I don’t think she’s the sports type, though. I don’t think she’d be at the rec room either, much less the art room.  _ Makoto ran through a mental list of every possible location Kyoko might be, only to consistently draw a blank at every single one. 

“What do I know about Kiri… Do I even know what she likes?” Makoto stopped in his tracks, feeling an intense weight on his shoulders. “Do I even know Kiri-”

“ **MAKOTO NAEGI!!!** ” Makoto jumped at the shout of his name, and nervously swung his head around to see the white uniform-clad man confidently walk towards him. 

“Uh… H-hello, Taka!” Makoto said, unconsciously correcting his posture. Kiyotaka Ishimaru had a commanding presence about him that made one subconsciously act their best, and Makoto was no exception. 

“Naegi, continue walking and listen to me!” Kiyotaka continued right past Makoto, and after a moment of realization Makoto gulped and followed him. 

“Now you know loitering is not allowed on academy grounds, right Naegi?” Makoto opened his mouth to answer, but Kiyotaka wasn’t waiting for an answer. “Now, you are one of the last people I would have expected to break an obvious rule in such a way.” Kiyotaka then reached the corner of the hallway and stopped. “But,” Kiyotaka turned to face Makoto with an uncharacteristically calm expression and spoke with an even softer tone. “Is something wrong, Naegi?” 

_ I-is this the real Taka? _ Makoto thought, craning his neck to look up to Kiyotaka’s eyes.  _ Actually, he might have a good idea on where Kiri might be. _

“Nothing’s wrong, Taka. I was actually looking for someone. Do you know where Kiri- I mean Kyoko is?” Makoto asked. 

“Kyoko Kirigiri? What for?” 

“Uh… I need to ask her something. Something personal.”

“Ah, I see.” Kiyotaka cleared his throat. “It may be none of my business, but allow me to make something clear, Naegi.” Kiyotaka’s typical intensity returned to his eyes as he placed his hand firmly on Makoto’s shoulder. “I can not allow any romantic affairs to distract you from your duty as a student! Do you understand?” 

“I-It’s nothing like that!” Makoto began to blush. “ I-I mean, it is like that… How did you know?” 

“Haha, Naegi.” Kiyotaka had a jovial laugh at Makoto’s confusion. “Everyone knows!” Makoto responded with his own nervous laugh. 

_ Everybody knows? D-Does that mean Kiri knows too? _

“Well anyways, I have sixth period Advanced Placement Biology with her in the biology lab on the fifth floor, you should be able to meet with her there afterwards.”

“Oh, thank you Taka!” Makoto calmed down and flashed Kiyotaka a genuine smile. “Well, I’ll head off then. See you later!” The two waved each other goodbye and split off in separate directions. 

_ So, my lunch break is during sixth period. So I still have an hour to figure out how I’m going to ask out Kiri then…  _ Makoto thought to himself as he made his way towards the cafeteria. 

As he got to the cafeteria, he autopilotted his way through the typical routine: the lunch line, paying for his food, and making his way to his typical table. However, the whole time he had the upcoming situation with Kyoko on his mind. 

_ What should I say? I think she likes coffee, does she? I’m not even sure I know what she likes anymore. Do I even know what she’s like? _

“Hey Makoto!” Makoto was pulled back to reality when Aoi Asahina yelled from the lunch table, excitedly waving with a wide-mouth smile on her face. She was sitting next to Sakura Ogami, who simply gave an acknowledging nod in response. They are his usual lunch time buddies, and considering the fact that they’re both girls they might be able give him some advice. 

“Uh… Hey Hina! Hey Sakura!” Makoto greeted the two girls before sitting down on the other side of the table. 

“You okay, Makoto? Is something on your mind?” Hina asked, tilting her head to the side. 

_ Wow, can everyone read my mind? Am I that obvious? _

“Uh… I'll just get to the point.” Makoto shifted his weight, causing nervous tension to rise in the other girls. “So Sayaka-”

“Ugh, Sayaka? You still hang out with her?” Asahina grumbled, shooting Makoto a very disapproving glare. 

“I-It’s nothing like that, I swear!” Makoto waved his hands in front of his body reassuringly, but that did nothing to waver their moods. 

“Are you telling me you’ve forgotten all of the pain she’s caused you?” Sakura glared at Makoto with one eye, but it had the same piercing affect as Asahina’s glare. 

“No, she’s different now.”  _ At least, I hope… _ “But I have something else I needed to ask you two about.” Makoto felt the air shift into a lighter mood, and noticed that Asahina and Sakura began to relax in their seats. 

“Well, what is it?” Sakura asked. 

“It’s pretty embarrassing, but I need some… feminine advice.”

“Is it finally happening?” Asahina said, practically jumping out of her seat. “Are you finally going to ask Kirigi out?”

“...”  _ So everyone knows, huh. _ “...yeah.”

Asahina squealed out loud, saying “ohmigod ohmigod” over and over while slamming the table. “It’s happening!” Sakura simply gave Makoto an affirming smile in turn. “So, what’s your plan?”

“Well, I was gonna find her after sixth period and… ask her then.” 

“... Is that it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well I mean, what are you going to ask her to do?”

_ Shoot, I didn’t think that far ahead. _ “Ummm, to get coffee tomorrow.” 

“Are you sure? I didn’t know you drank coffee.” Sakura interjected. 

“I-I don’t, but I’ll try!” 

“So,” Asahina began, “I’ll pretend I’m Kirigiri and you ask me out, okay?” 

“O-Okay.” Makoto cleared his throat awkwardly. “Um… Hey Kiri.”

“Good afternoon Naegi.” Asahina said, totally deadpan. Sakura and Makoto both immediately laughed in response. 

“Pfff, that impression is perfect, Hina!” 

“Keep going! Keep going!”

“Oh yeah, er. I have something I’ve been meaning to ask you about, for a while now.” 

“What is it, Naegi?” 

“Would you like to get some coffee some time?” 

“...”

“...”

“Makoto,” Asahina began, breaking character, “you already messed up.”

“Wh-what?” Makoto instinctively backed an inch away. “How did I already blow it?” 

“Are you going out as friends or out on a date?” Asahina made a chopping block motion with her hands. “It’s the worst feeling in the world when you’re not sure if it's a date or not! You need to make it clear from the start!”

“Oh yeah, I’ll redo that.” Makoto shifted his weight. “Would you like to get some coffee some time? On a date-date, by the way.” 

“Smooth.” Sakura said slyly. 

“Well, how would I do it better then?” 

“You want it to be clear, but you don’t need to say it outloud like that.”

“Be clear, but don’t directly say it? I don’t know what you mean.” 

“Well luckily for you, she’s the ultimate detective so she’ll probably know what you’re trying to say anyways. But being a little coy is romantic you know.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah, you gotta balance out your usual friendliness with being hard to get.” 

“Balance out…” Makoto then looked up to the clock and saw that sixth period was nearly over. “Oh shoot, I need to go!” Makoto jumped out of his seat and got ready to leave hastily. 

“Good luck Makoto!” Asahina and Sakura said in unison. Makoto said his own goodbye and left. 

_ Well now I need to dash up to the bio lab, which is on the… fifth floor. _ Makoto craned his neck up the first floor stairs and sighed.  _ Whelp… _

\----------------

After running through the entire school building, Makoto finally found himself in front of the bio lab. After running across the building to and fro four times before making his way to the most secluded part of the whole school, Makoto was exhausted. However, as he finally caught his breath, the tiredness was slowly replaced with an overwhelming weight of nervousness. 

_ This is it. Just past this door, and it’s my chance too…  _ Makoto was about to take another step toward the door, but was interrupted when Kiyotaka rushed in to open the door first. 

“Ah, Naegi!” Kiyotaka greeted cheerfully. “Kirigiri is at the back of the room. Good luck!” Makoto faked a confident nod before walking past Kiyotaka. He stepped into the lab for the first time in his life, and had to scan the entire room to even figure out where the back was. After a few moments he was able to find the lavender detective exactly where Kiyotaka said she would be, having just packed her bag and was ready to go to her next class. 

“K-Kiri!” Makoto called out, alarming Kyoko. She turned towards his direction and stood up from her desk. 

“Hello Naegi, what do you need?” Kyoko asked. 

_ Okay, now’s the time. What did Hina say? Be clear but not blatant?  _

“I… Was wondering if… you would like… to get some coffee this weekend?” Makoto asked nervously. He looked to Kyoko and saw that she didn’t budge an inch. “On a date.” 

Kyoko shifted her weight from one leg to another and slid her backpack over her left shoulder. Makoto gulped nervously, and felt the sound reverberate throughout the now silent bio lab. Kyoko’s facial expression didn’t waver in the slightest, while Makoto felt like he couldn’t see through his sweat. It felt like time stood still as he waited for Kyoko to break through the silence, but after what felt like ages she had finally spoken her mind. 

“No thank you.”


	3. Reciprocation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyoko reconsiders her initial rejection of Makoto's proposal.

(A/N: Gaslighting warning, just in case y’all are sensitive towards it. Also, I’m starting a discord server for other Naegiri fans so we can chill out together, the invite code is: 4qPvppysSQ)

“N-No?” Makoto let the words slip out as he raised his eyebrows in surprise. 

“I am flattered, but no thank you.” Kyoko maintained her neutral expression as she quietly walked past Makoto and disappeared out the door without giving him a chance to ask any questions. Makoto didn’t move a muscle, petrified by the silence. It was a few heavy seconds until Makoto finally let go of his breath in a guttural sigh, finally relieving his muscles from his stress-induced tension. 

_ Well… I blew it.  _ Makoto winced as he replayed the previous minute in his mind.  _ But at least I shot my shot, right? _ Makoto hung his head downward and trudged his way out of the biology lab.  _ At least I have my next class with Sayaka, she can give me my phone back then.  _

Although his next class was only down the hall, the walk there felt like a journey.  _ What did I do wrong? Did I come off weird? Did I mess up Hina’s advice? Was Hina’s advice just bad? Does Kiri just not like me like that? _

“Does Kiri just not like me at all?” Makoto mumbled to himself. He finally craned his head upright and looked out to the swarm of students surrounding him. He jumped in surprise when he saw a girl with lavender hair, but calmed down when he saw she wasn’t Kyoko. He held his breath at the sight of a student with gloves, but sighed in relief when she wasn’t Kyoko. He looked to his side and saw his seventh period literature class, and felt a wave of relief.  _ At least I can finally get my phone back… _

Makoto trudged into the classroom silently, making his way towards the back of the room. He sat down in the empty seat by the window. 

“So…” He turned to his right and saw Sayaka in her usual seat, “how’s it going?”

“...Kiri turned me down.” Makoto leaned further back into his seat. 

“Turned you down on what?” Sayaka asked. Makoto took a moment to process what she said, and looked her in the eyes with a confused expression. 

“A date… Like you told me to, right?” 

“You asked her out on a date? Kyoko Kirigiri?” Sayaka said through her teeth. She leaned towards Makoto, who instinctively leaned away in response. “I even told you nobody sees anything between you two, where you not listening to me again?” 

“Yeah, I thought you told me to. You even took my phone as an incentive!” 

“Oh, do you mean this?” Sayaka pulled out his phone from her bag and laid it on his desk. “You left it on your desk during math class and forgot it, so I held onto it for you.” 

“Is that what happened? I thought you took it from my bag?” Makoto grabbed his phone and gave it a skeptical glance, turning it around to make sure it was his. 

“What do you mean ‘took it?’ I never did. I mean, you’ve never had the best memory, Makoto, you may be misremembering it.” Makoto felt the sweat perspire from his forehead. He felt his stomach feel empty and tight. He felt his body shaking. 

“O-oh, that must be it, then.” Makoto shifted his position to face the front of the class. He was tempted to glance at Sayaka from the corner of his eye, but he knew the expression she was wearing anyway. “I-I’m sorry.” 

Sayaka left a moment of silence, letting Makoto’s guilt hang over his conscience before she continued. “I hope that detective didn’t say anything hurtful, though. You’re the kind of guy who wears his heart on his sleeve, and I hope she didn’t take advantage of that.” 

Makoto opened his mouth to explain the situation better, but was interrupted when the teacher walked into the classroom. He gave a nervous look towards Sayaka that she did not reciprocate, and then returned his gaze to the front of the class. The teacher moved their mouth and pointed to the board, but Makoto heard nothing. He looked to the board and saw meaningless letters and words. He adjusted his seat in an attempt to focus better, but the blur stayed the same. 

_ Is the problem here me?  _ Makoto thought to himself, biting his lip.  _ Maybe Sayaka’s right, I am being too open with everything.  _

Makoto’s gaze drifted aimlessly around the classroom. As much as he tried to avoid it, his thoughts always drifted back to being rejected by Kyoko. The way he jumbled the words he practiced in front of her, and how she nonchalantly denied him replayed in his mind perpetually. 

_ Why did I do that? What was I thinking? _ Makoto rested his arms on his desk and laid his head on top, staring down into his desk as if he was about to go to sleep.  _ I hope she doesn’t hate me _ he thought, staring wide eyed into his desk

\------------------------------------------------------

_ World history is my last class for today. _ Kyoko thought, swiftly walking through the halls.  _ After that I’m done for the day, and then I have an hour to finish up some homework before father is done for the day.  _ She elegantly marched through the halls, not looking twice as she maneuvered through the chaotic traffic of students as she finally reached her classroom. Once she had reached the room, she simply sat in her back row seat and waited for class to begin. 

“Kirigiri~” Kyoko looked to her left and saw her acquaintance Asahina flashing her a wide smile. 

“Hello Asahina.”

“So…” Asahina scooted her seat closer to Kyoko’s. “Did anything interesting happen to you today?”

“What do you mean?”  _ She’s going to ask if Makoto asked me out today.  _

“Did anything interesting happen to you, specifically with Makoto?” 

_ Knew it.  _ “Why yes, he asked me out on a date five minutes ago.” Asahina leaned even closer to Kyoko with a starry-eyed expression. 

“And… What did you say?”

“I said no.”

“WHAAAAAAAT?” Asahina yelled out in surprise, catching the attention of the other students in the class and even causing Kyoko to jump. She immediately covered her mouth and shyly glanced around the classroom, embarrassed. “Sorry… But how come? Makoto’s a great guy!” Kyoko shifted her weight. 

“I don’t dislike him at all, in fact I do like him.” Kyoko said, “if anything, I’m surprised he said it now, since it had been so obvious for so long.”

“Then why did you turn him down?” Asahina said, leaning even closer as she questioned her. 

“There are a lot of reasons, like why would he ask me out in the way that he did” Kyoko began, “after attempting to keep it a secret for so long, why today of all days would he make his move? We have had a few occasions recently that would have been more appropriately timed for him to confess than now, so his sudden action today leads me to think he was in some way forced to.” 

“Therefore,” Kyoko continued, “he’s definitely not prepared for any kind of date or meetup at all, and turning him down then ultimately saves him the trouble of preparing for a last minute date anyways. If anything, it is in his favor if I were to turn him down now.” Kyoko then looked towards Asahina, who looked as if she was about to fall out of her seat. 

“Even if that’s true, I know for sure he tried his best to impress you. He was working on his proposal for our entire lunch break, and he kept asking me and Sakura how to talk to girls as if he didn’t know.” Asahina laughed. 

“Well, even though that is the case, when he asked me out a few minutes ago he was definitely nervous. He might be scared, scared of the situation or me.”

“So, did you turn him down because you’re not interested in him romantically, or is it because  _ you’re _ too scared to go on a date?”

_ Damn, she hit the nail on the head.  _ Kyoko winced. “Does it matter?” Kyoko asked as she brushed off the thought. 

“Don’t avoid the question,” Asahina pouted, “which is it?” Kyoko opened her mouth to speak, but held the silence for a few moments as she configured the best way to say it.

“I… do like Naegi.” Kyoko allowed a hint of a smile to appear on her face as she said his name. “He’s sweet and helpful, but I don’t think I know him well enough to interact with him in such a way.” 

“I mean,” Asahina said, “a date is the best way to learn about someone like that, if that’s your problem.” 

Kyoko took a deep breath and smiled towards Asahina, “that is true, I suppose I should ask him out now.” Asahina smiled from ear to ear, and was about to say something but was interrupted by the teacher entering the classroom. 

_ Well, now I need to find Naegi. _ Kyoko thought to herself as she opened her notebook and wrote the day's date on the top. 

\------------------------------------------------------

Class had just finished and Kyoko had switched into detective mode. She instantly slid her notebook and pencil into her bag before turning towards Asahina. 

“Asahina, do you know where Naegi’s seventh period was?” 

“Ummm,” Asahina was caught off guard by Kyoko’s sudden questioning, “I’m not sure, he definitely has it with Sayaka though-”

“Sayaka, got it.” Kyoko immediately stood up and bolted out the door. Once she was in the middle of the hallway, she scanned her immediate surroundings and quickly laid her eyes on a group of upperclassmen boys talking to each other. 

“Do any of you know where Sayaka Maizono is?” Kyoko asked while speed walking towards them. 

“The ultimate pop singer?” One of them began, “not sure which class in particular but I usually see her on the third floor, why you askin-”

“Third floor, got it.” Kyoko cut him off as she immediately walked past him, making a beeline towards the staircase. She skillfully cut through the crowd, stepping down multiple stairs at a time while avoiding contact with the other students the whole time. After skipping down two floors she darted through the hallway, scanning the crowd of students for any ahoges. 

After only half a minute of scanning she found what she was looking for, a brown tuft of hair poking up and out through the crowd.  _ Found you _ . Kyoko brushed past a few more students before reaching Makoto. 

“Naegi,” Kyoko said. She locked eye contact with Makoto and saw an emotion she did not expect from this interaction. Makoto noticeably jumped and took a step back at the sight of her, raising his eyebrows incredibly high. 

“K-Kiri?!” Makoto’s pupils dilated. Kyoko let out an audible gasp in response. 

_ Am I… scaring him?  _ Kyoko took a deep breath,  _ did my rejection hurt him that badly? _

“I apologize for my apparent indecisiveness,” Kyoko began, “but I have reconsidered your proposal, and I accept. If your offer still stands I would be glad to work out the details with you later today.” Kyoko calmly smiled to signify she was done talking, and was relieved when she noticed that Makoto began to relax. 

“Uh… wow! Thank you, Kiri.” Naegi laughed nervously. “And... I was scared you hated me.”

“Hate you? I could never hate someone like you. Does that mean you’re still on for this weekend?” 

“Yep! I’ll text you about it later today then!” Makoto close smiled before stumbling past Kyoko, disappearing into the crowd of students. Kyoko silently looked in his direction until his hair spike was no longer visible. 

_...Something’s wrong. _ Kyoko thought to herself, before leaving for her dorm.  _ Is it… me? _


	4. Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyoko and Makoto finally meet up for their date, however, Kyoko quickly catches on to how nervous Makoto is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The discord server, "Naegiri Club," already has a few members, thank you for joining! IF you're interested you should stop by, we have good memes. Invite Code: 4qPvppysSQ)

_ Where is he? _ Kyoko thought to herself as she looked out across the parking lot. It was mostly full, but there were a few parking spaces that were miraculously open by the front of the coffee shop. She and Makoto had arranged to meet for dinner at 6pm, and by now it was 6:05.

_ This is what I get for showing up early, _ she thought to herself, crossing her arms across her chest. Now that she was outside of school grounds, Kyoko wore her street clothes: a lavender sweater over a white button up and a nice pair of jeans, a small white purse and her trademark gloves. She silently checked her phone, confirming that she had the meeting time right.  _ Did something happen? _

Kyoko: Is everything alright? 

**sent** .

_ So he hasn’t read it, does that mean he’s on his way? _ As if on cue, Kyoko looked up from her phone to see a smaller, gray sedan pulling into the nearest parking spot. It parked abruptly and Kyoko watched as Makoto stepped out of the driver’s side of the car. He was holding a small bag that was presumably a present, but that was not the most striking part. 

_ He’s wearing a full suit…  _ Kyoko’s stoic facade shook as she was taken by surprise. Makoto had a gray suit jacket over a white button up, which was under a green striped tie and tucked into matching gray suit pants. Kyoko watched as Makoto looked at her, down at himself, and was suddenly struck with a look of grief.  _ Oh no, he’s going to think that this is his fault and apologize.  _

“Oh! I’m sorry, I'm super overdressed!” Makoto apologized. The two stared at each other in awkward silence while Kyoko’s mind was racing. 

_ Why is he wearing a full suit to go to a coffee shop? Also, he seems uncharacteristically stressed right now, similar to when I asked him out for this date. Is he suffering from nerves for a date, or is he actually afraid of me?  _ Kyoko examined Makoto’s atypically perfect posture and stressed expression, which only confirmed her hypotheses.  _ I would prefer it be the former, but I can’t deny the possibility of the latter. I need to make sure he’s feeling comfortable _ . 

“Oh no, you’re fine!” Kyoko said in an upbeat tone. The detective then took a few confident steps until she was less than a foot away from Makoto, and smiled for him. “I actually think that it looks great on you.” 

“Thank you, Kiri!” Makoto blushed, “you look really good too.” Makoto smiled up at Kyoko before lifting the small bag in his hand. “Oh yeah, I got this for you.” Makoto promptly handed her the present, who took it in her hand. She looked to the bag and back at him, and although he still seemed nervous, it shifted from an energy of fear to one of anticipation. 

_ At least he’s looking better now, it may be just nerves after all.  _ Kyoko thought to herself before shifting her attention to the present. It was a white gift bag with some purple tissue paper inside, covering whatever it was hiding inside of it. She held the bag by the string handle and let it dangle, feeling the weight of it.  _ Makoto doesn’t seem like the type who would be able to splurge on a gift. This doesn’t feel heavy at all either, so it’s most likely not electronic. It wouldn’t make sense to give me a snack if we’re going out to eat too. It’s not exactly tiny as well, maybe he got me some kind of toy or figurine.  _

After making her deduction Kyoko reached her gloved hand into and past the tissue paper to grab her present. After getting a good grip on it she gently pulled the object out of the bag, revealing an antique, porcelain doll of a girl dressed in a purple dress and hat. 

“Well now, this is interesting.” Kyoko said with a smile. She looked the doll over and then back to Makoto. 

“I’m glad you liked it! I wasn’t exactly sure about what you’d want so I got you something purple, hehe.” Makoto laughed while scratching the top of his head. “Plus, it reminds me of you in a way.” 

“Of me? How so?” Kyoko asked. 

“Well,” Makoto began, “besides the color choice, they’re mysterious as well. Nobody’s sure who made the very first one, so it has that enigmatic air around it.” Makoto then looked down to the ground, blushing profusely. “They’re, they’re pretty too…” 

_ Wow, he thinks I’m pretty… _ “well thank you, I’m flattered.” 

“So you like it?” Makoto asked. 

“Yes, of course. Now I wish I had gotten a gift for you as well.” 

“Oh, you don’t have to worry so much about that, I’m a gift-giving person so I always have something to give out.” 

_ Considerate the whole way through.  _ Kyoko smiled at Makoto.  _ It wouldn’t be a bad idea for me to make a move of my own here, as well _ . “Well, I suppose I should repay you on the next date.” 

Kyoko could have practically seen the steam come out from Makoto’s ears when she said that. His entire face turned red and he had an extremely silly smile on his face. He then covered his face with his hand out of embarrassment. 

_...How cute _ . “Well then, shall we head inside?” Kyoko nodded her head towards the coffee shop while inserting the doll into her purse. 

“Y-yeah.” Makoto’s blush began to fade away as he followed Kyoko into the coffee shop.. 

Once in the building they immediately filled the customer line. Unsurprisingly the coffee shop was full of people. However, the coffee shop even had many children and families there. 

“Wow, even though it’s the weekend there’s definitely a lot of people here.” Kyoko began, scanning the whole room. 

“What did you say? It’s too loud!” Makoto yelled. Kyoko looked over to him leaning towards her, with his hand cupping his ear. Kyoko leaned back towards him. 

“It’s definitely too loud in here, should we get our food to go and eat it outside?” 

“Yeah, that sounds good.” 

The two stood quietly for about a minute, listening to the scrambled conversations of all the other people. 

_ If I knew Makoto he’d have already started conversation with anybody else in this situation. However, I’m different. He knows I’m not as much for casual conversation as he is, and most likely wants to make me as comfortable as I can be by not forcing me into a conversation.  _

_ Along those lines, he got me that gift and dressed up so much for me. Further, when I first saw him he was incredibly nervous, so my happiness must be his motive.  _ Kyoko looked over to Makoto, who returned a shy smile towards her.  _ He’s definitely putting himself out for me, so I need to make it easier for him.  _

“So, Naegi.” Kyoko began, “even after being involved in so many school activities together, this is the first time we’ve spent time together outside of class.” 

“Yeah, it’s wild to think about.” Makoto responded. “Has this really been the first time? I feel like we have to at least have done something non-school related together.” Makoto scratched his head as he tried to think of something. “What about that time I accidentally drank your coffee and coughed it all over the place?”

“That was while we were scrambling together an art project.” 

“Oh really? Sorry for getting you your first fail of the year, by the way.” Makoto laughed as he apologized, causing Kyoko to smile.

“Don’t worry about it. None of us are exactly artists, anyways.” They both giggled at Kyoko’s joke, and once he had caught his breath Makoto continued.

“There has to be something else, though.” Makoto continued, “what about when we all went to that festival?” 

“Does that count if everyone in our class went?” Kyoko asked, “if that counts, that means Sakura’s birthday two weeks ago counts too.” 

“...”

_...What?  _ Kyoko became worried.  _ Why is Makoto suddenly quiet? What happened at that party?  _ Time seemed to freeze as Makoto stared off blankly into space, only adding to Kyoko’s growing anxiety. 

“...Can you hold my spot in line for a moment, I need to use the bathroom.” Makoto shuffled away to the restroom without waiting for an answer. Kyoko watched as he left and once he was out of her vision, pulled up Asahina’s contact. 

Kyoko: I brought up Sakura’s birthday party and he nervously went to the bathroom. What happened at that party. 

To Kyoko’s relief, Asahina had immediately begun typing.  _ Was she ready at a moment’s notice? She’s as invested in this as me… _

Asahina: You didn’t know? That’s when Sayaka and Makoto broke up!

_!!! _

Kyoko’s jaw dropped as she read that text.  _ Sayaka!  _ Kyoko replayed the progression of Makoto’s mood before the party and afterwards, and suddenly drew hundreds of connections.  _ Everything makes sense now! Is Sayaka the reason he asked me out back then? Does Sayaka still have control over Makoto, even after they broke up? _ Kyoko slid her phone in her purse and looked up to see Makoto sheepishly walk towards her. _ Is Sayaka the reason why Makoto seems so utterly terrified of me? _

“Thanks for holding my spot, Kiri.” Makoto said as he returned to stand by Kyoko. Kyoko looked over to see his shaky smile, and knew she messed up. 

“Listen Naegi, I’m sorry for bringing that up.” Kyoko apologized, “I should’ve known-”

“Oh, don’t worry about that!” Makoto interrupted, “trust me, I’m fine!” 

_ Clearly not. However, pursuing this will only make it worse.  _

Soon after the two had finally gotten to the front of the line and began to put in their orders. 

“I’ll have a Civet coffee with extra chocolate.” Kyoko ordered. 

“I’ll… have what she’s having.” Makoto ordered. 

_ Just as I thought, he doesn’t know anything about coffee.  _ Kyoko reminensced on the time that Makoto had choked while accidentally drinking the exact same kind of coffee, and felt the mood drop. She shot a concerned glance in Makoto’s direction, thinking  _ he’s been so considerate of me, especially at his expense.  _

The two then moved further down the counter, standing alongside some others who were also waiting for their coffees. 

“So Naegi, I had no idea that you also enjoy Civet coffee.” Kyoko said. 

“Oh yeah, I honestly don’t know anything about coffee. You probably knew that already, though.” Makoto laughed at his own joke, with even Kyoko letting out a smile. “I just said it because I figured if you like it, then it must be good.” Makoto looked at Kyoko, expecting another smile. However, he was visibly confused as he watched Kyoko’s expression return to one of concern.

_ I can’t have him do everything at my expense tonight.  _ “Naegi, I need you to be honest with me.” Kyoko began, “are you putting yourself out for me?” The expression Kyoko showed Makoto presented genuine concern with a shade of guilt, and she was able to make Makoto cave in. 

“...Yeah, I’m sorry.” Makoto apologized, “I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable, and I wanted to impress you.” Makoto sheepishly scratched his head, looking over to Kyoko with a goofy smile. 

“It’s fine, if anything I appreciate it. However, this is  _ our _ date, meaning that we both need to enjoy ourselves here. Do you understand?” Kyoko said sternly. 

“Yes I do, I’m-”

“Also, please stop unnecessarily apologizing. I’m not upset with you.” 

“Okay, I’m-agh!” Makoto interrupted himself, getting an inadvertent smile from Kyoko in the process. “You know what I mean, I’ll do that. I may have messed this date up, but I hope I can make the next one better.” 

  
_ Wow, I can’t believe he was able to make me blush with my own joke. Smooth one, Naegi. _ The lavender-haired detective analyzed Makoto’s cheery expression, internally sighing with relief as she saw him relax.  _ At least he’s relaxed now.  _


End file.
